1524–1525

The Erasmus–Luther debate on free will

Under pressure from Henry VIII, Pope Adrian VI and others, Erasmus challenged Luther in 1524 in the treatise "On Free Will". Luther replied in 1525 with "On the Bondage of the Will". That same year Zwingli expressed views similar to Luther's in his "Commentary on True and False Religion". The debate concerned the role of the human being and of grace in salvation.

The debate publicly sealed the break between humanism and the Reformation. A moderate middle position became almost impossible, and the relationship between Erasmus and Luther was permanently damaged.